“I am different now … I’ve come to understand what coaching is”; an exploration of an Olympic coach’s beliefs and pedagogical practice

Coaching philosophy is an important foundation for coaches’ practice and athletes’ learning, yet existing literature provides only limited understanding of coaches’ philosophy of coaching. This study explored the development of one Olympic coach’s philosophy of coaching and its impact on pedagogical practice. Over six-months, prior to the Tokyo Olympics, we conducted multiple interviews and observations of training sessions involving the coach (Alex) and their three athletes (Chris, Sam and Laurie). Utilising Freirean concepts as a theoretical lens, and employing reflexive thematic analysis, we developed four themes that conveyed Alex’s philosophy development: “We’ve been on quite the journey”; Nudges and self-exploration along the way; Challenges en-route to the Games; and The journey continues. Our analysis helped us to better understand the realities of, and the ad-hoc nature of, developing and practicing meaningful philosophy of coaching within a high-performance programme, which, in turn, impacts and guides the coach’s pedagogical practice.